Snowstorm hits Morgan County, drops up to a foot

Manny Montano shovels off a sidewalk in downtown Fort Morgan during the Saturday snowstorm. It was tough to stay ahead when the wind kept blowing snow.
(DAN BARKER / FORT MORGAN TIMES )

The largest snowstorm of the 2012-13 season -- 10 to 12 inches -- shut down numerous roads around Morgan County Saturday, and two road graders got stuck Saturday night.

One grader got stuck on County Road V near County Road 17 north of Fort Morgan at about 9 p.m. trying to get around a stuck truck, and the second grader got stuck trying to get the first one out, said Dick Early, county bridge manager.

County crews were still trying to clear roads today, although most roads were open Sunday.

"Things were pretty much shut down until we got through them," Early said.

Conditions were worst south of Wiggins, he noted.

"It was the biggest storm we've had," said Wes Templeton of the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Snow cornices and icicles were common sights on buildings around Morgan County in the wake of the storm.
(JOHN LA PORTE / FORT MORGAN TIMES )

Highway 71 between Brush and Limon, 63 between Anton and Atwood, 61 between Otis and Sterling and 385 between Wray and Burlington were closed part of Saturday.

Interstate 70 between the Denver area and Kansas was also closed part of Saturday.

The area got a good 10 to 12 inches of snow, Templeton said.

CDOT crews were working 14-hour shifts during and after the storm, he noted.

CDOT crews went out again Sunday night as a dusting of snow turned some roads icy.

Fort Morgan had three plows out Friday night and Saturday, city officials reported.

In Brush, drifts and overnight freezing made the going difficult in some areas, said city manager Monty Torres; crews were still clearing streets today.

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"We needed the moisture," said Marlin Eisenach, Morgan County extension agent. "We need all of that we can possibly get."

Rain Thursday put down about a third of an inch of moisture, and Saturday's snow added six to eight inches of moisure.

A few ranchers in the area have calving going on, but they had enough warning of the storm to gather cattle close to where they could get to them, Eisenach said.

Benefiting most from the moisture were wheat and pasture, he said.

Also, the topsoil that will soon be undergoing planting of crops received some benefit, Eisenach noted.

The snowpack got some help, which will add to runoff to help fill reservoirs, he said.

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